Tag: cassara

How popular is the baby name Cassara in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Cassara and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Cassara.

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Posts that Mention the Name Cassara

I ask because I believe today’s baby names can be traced back to a specific set of lyrics misheard by dozens of parents a little more than 20 years ago.

Intrigued?

The Names

Casara, Kasarah, Cassara, and Casarah all debuted on the SSA’s baby name list in 1987. The same year, Kasara returned after being listed only once before (in the mid-1970s). And in 1988, Cassarah made its first and only appearance.

Name

1986

1987

1988

1989

Kasara

–

22

44

19

Casara

–

17

34

10

Kasarah

–

10

25

17

Cassara

–

9

18

10

Casarah

–

7

12

10

Cassarah

–

–

5

–

At first I couldn’t figure them out. They didn’t look like alternative spellings of a more popular name. They all popped up at about the same time, pointing to a single pop culture source, but the origin wasn’t obvious (as it had been with names like Daughtry and Cheetara.)

Finally, months after discovering them, I came up with a decent theory.

In fact, 1987 was a great year for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Their second album, Spanish Fly, went platinum in August. Two songs from the album ended up becoming Billboard #1 singles — “Head to Toe” in June, “Lost In Emotion” in October.

I’m sure you’ve heard “Lost in Emotion” before, but here’s the video just in case. (How awesome are those outfits, btw?)

Pay special attention to the following lines [starting at 1:27]:

Que sera, que sera
Baby, whatever will be
Que sera, que sera
Between you and me

The Connection

That “que sera, que sera” in the chorus is a corruption of the phrase “que sera, sera,” taken from the earlier song “Que Sera, Sera.” The phrase is commonly thought to mean “whatever will be, will be,” though that’s not quite true.

Anyway, to someone casually listening to “Lost in Emotion” on the radio, the words “que sera” blend together and sound just like Kasara, Casara, and the other names above.

The Proof

Well, not “proof” exactly. But an enticing bit of evidence.

I did a search for anyone (a blogger, say) who’d written about mistaking “que sera” for a girl name. Just to see if anyone could back me up.

The Story: My sister named my niece Kassarah after this song. Ooops, oh well a beautifully unique name for a beautiful, unique girl! – Submitted by: Sandee

Jackpot. :)

(Incidentally, the spelling Kassarah has never appeared on any of the SSA’s baby name lists.)

The Conclusion

So that’s what I suspect — in the late ’80s, dozens of expectant parents heard Lisa Lisa’s “Lost in Emotion,” interpreted “que sera” as a female name, and used the misheard lyric as a baby name, spelling it various ways (e.g. Kasara, Casara, Kasarah).

But I’d love to hear other theories if anyone out there has a better explanation.